Deceit of a Mentor: the New Dark Tournament
by ndboonies
Summary: A new Dark Tournament is in the works, with five students at a school for spirit detectives set to compete. They just don't know it! Note: In the prologue,the phrase the first period should be the first period BELL. Bit of a difference! Chapter 10 is up!
1. Prologue

Prologue: Late Again

For some, the first period is the signal to start working. For others, it is the beginning of eight hours of torture. For others still, it is a gleam of hope; a chance for them to showcase their talents. But for Kakome Mirushito, it just meant she was late.

Kakome was usually late to class, and today was no exception. It just took her too long to get ready, but most of the male students in her class thought it was well worth all the extra effort. In other words, she was always late because she had to make herself hot. Her medium-length brunette hair had amazing bangs, which were never out of place, and the main body of her hair was always worn in a feathered bun. She put just the right amount of make-up on, so that it brought out her eyes but didn't look unnatural. And her lips… well, her perfect, juicy lips were not too big, but still noticeable because of her lip gloss and liner. Put simply, she was a sex symbol. No… make that a sex goddess.

If she hurried, maybe her teacher wouldn't notice her tardiness… Mr. Karokita usually didn't start class _immediately_…

She crept into the classroom, seemingly unnoticed. And perhaps she would have gotten away with her tardiness if a certain loud-mouthed boy by the name of Kazuhiro Daiguchi note: in Japanese, Daiguchi means 'large mouth' hadn't greeted her with a "Hey Kakome! How come you're late?" for all the class to hear.

"Oh, no!" thought Kakome in complete trepidation. "I'm gonna have to take the penalty!"

You see, not only was Kakome abnormally good-looking, she also attended an abnormal school. The Yusuke Urameshi School for Spirit Detectives was a school where those that opposed demon activity learned to fight it. Those who were employed to do so were called Spirit Detectives.

The founder of this school seemed to believe that class was like a mission. If you were late, then you may come across an ambush. Such was the same concept of a tardiness penalty. They had to fight the teacher.

Mr. Karokita didn't seem to notice her…

"MIRUSHITO!"

…Never mind.


	2. Chapter 1: Aural Steiroids

Chapter 1: Aural Steroids

Kakome hunched her shoulders and blushed in embarrassment. Though some of her redness was anger, as well. Anger at Kazuhiro's blabbermouth.

"Come up to the front of the class, Miss Mirushito." Mr. Karokita mandated. She did as she was told. "Is there a reason why you're late?"

"Yes, sir. My hair refused to straighten." She told him. The class broke out into laughter.

"Very funny, Mirushito. Time for your penalty. You may choose to fight me, or the virtual version of one of your classmates. Which will it be?" Mr. Karokita asked.

"Well, I think it would be very interesting to fight Kazuhiro Daiguchi." She said sappily. "The bastard made me get caught, too." She continued under her breath.

"What was that last bit? I missed it." Mr. Karokita asked naively.

"Uh… the lad's card made my sink clog with food." She answered as the class burst into laughter once again.

"I see. Well, it's best to keep your sink discrepancies out of the classroom." He answered as Kakome began to realize just how ignorant her teacher actually was. "Now, please step inside the simulator."

She stepped up onto the step that looked like nothing more than a large photo booth with an actual door instead of a curtain.

"Whenever you're ready, Kakome, I'll start it. It's all programmed." He informed her.

"Ready." She answered.

As soon as she finished this command, what appeared to be a virtual arena materialized all around her; and with it came a virtual Kazuhiro.

"Still ugly as a hologram. Bet his mouth is bigger, though. If that's possible." She remarked, as though trying to impress the audience of non-existent people. She flicked a traditional folding fan open. This was her weapon. Though it was not much on its own, she had an impeccable talent for magic. She used this magic to… well, you'll see.

"Kazuhiro" began to glow. You see, all the students in Kakome's class could use magic. This "magic" was called Spirit Energy; and it usually manifested in the form of a glowing aura. Kazuhiro's aura was a brilliant shade of royal blue. He began grunting and sweating profusely. Then he stopped in a spilt second. In this same second, he rushed at Kakome with such speed that she couldn't see him when he moved. This was a problem.

As Kazuhiro was in motion, he taunted Kakome:

"Can't you see me, Kakome? Do you need your eyes checked?"

He hit her many times, as she soon realized. However, these punches hurt Kazuhiro, as well, due to the high speeds at which he was traveling. He was unable to stop at these high speeds, and neither could his fists. He probably would have broken his wrists if he wasn't under his aura. He suddenly stopped.

"You're a tough one, Mirushito. I'll give you that much. But here's where the fun ends." Kazuhiro exclaimed as the glowing and sweating continued. This time he rushed at Kakome, but slowly, as if he had much more to carry this time. And, as Kakome did a back flip into the air to dodge, she noticed that Kazuhiro did, in fact, have more to carry. His muscles had grown tenfold, and where he had intended to punch Kakome, there was a crater.

"_I see… he uses his Spirit Energy like a steroid…but it looks he can only increase one thing at a time. First it was his speed, and now his strength."_ Thought Kakome. "_But now playtime's over. I'm gonna kick his ass._"

When she landed from her incredibly high back flip, she flicked her folding fan open. She decided her exact tactics in a split second. Then her own aura began to glow. Hers was a jungle green. Fitting, since she was a master of plant magic.

"Kazuhiro, it's time to end this." She declared in a dominating voice. "RAZOR PEDALS!"

She began twirling her fan an inch above her index finger, and it glowed with the same jungle green as her aura. Just when Kazuhiro thought it couldn't get any brighter, black flower petals started to swirl out of the fan in a masterful swirl of his impending doom. They hung in the air when Kakome stopped twirling her fan, flicked it shut, and, when her right hand was free, she snapped her fingers.

The pedals swirled around Kazuhiro, giving him scores of what felt to him like paper cuts. The cuts eventually hurt so bad, that he started to go into shock and collapsed.

"Game. Set. Match." Kakome said as she held her hand to form an imaginary pistol and blew on the tip.

When Kakome stepped out of the simulator, the entire class gasped. They could not believe she had come out of this without a mortal wound. They began to applaud. Kakome took a bow.

"You like me, you really, really like me!" she laughed.

"Well, they must like the four others who did the same thing today, too." Mr. Karokita snickered.

"FOUR others!" Kakome demanded. "How late was I that I missed four fights!"

"Calm down, Mirushito, they were all very short. By the way, I would like to see Misters Takanoshi, Poronobu, Koroshika, and Ishkanori, please. Class dismissed."

Kakome started out the door. "You, too, Mirushito." She froze. What now? She beat his so called "challenger"! What could he possibly want from her now?

Kakome could tell this was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 2: Team Mirushito Is Born

Chapter 2: Team Mirushito Is Born

As Kakome started towards Mr. Karokita's desk, she took notice of who all he had required to stay after class. She noticed her classmates Arne Koroshika, Reishi Poronobu, Inaryu Ishkanori, and Takaan Takanoshi.

Arne was a tall, preppy type. He always wore a long-sleeved dress shirt and a pullover sweater vest. He was a loner, and spent most of his free time in class leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. This is not to say he was anti-social, he would talk to people when they talked to him, but his shyness made it very difficult for him to start a conversation. Perhaps his shyness was out-of-place; however, as the majority of the girls at Yusuke Urameshi School thought he was gorgeous. His large, blue eyes and spiky black hair complemented his fair complexion, but, unfortunately, Arne never realized this. Perhaps if he did, his shyness would never be an issue… but that is neither her nor there.

Reishi Poronobu was much the same way: a shy, anti-social, loner that never spoke unless spoken to. However, his problem was not shyness. Not to say that anyone ever knew what his problem was. No one could ever read him, and it didn't help matters that he always wore a mask. His mask was white, and had devil horns on the sides. There were no eye holes, and no one really knew how he got around safely. He did, though. Even though the girls had never seen his face, they still thought he was kind of cute. He had long, magenta hair that was spiked up in the front; an odd look to be sure, but it worked astonishingly well for him. He never wore a shirt, something that the other guys loathed him for. You see, he was as ripped as they come. He had abs that had broken many a wrist at the old 'Come on, hit it!' trick. Other's fear of him increased exponentially when they found out he was a youkai, the most feared class of demon. He didn't mind, though. He enjoyed the solitude.

Inaryu was quite the opposite. He picked fights with anyone who looked at him the wrong way. Perhaps this was to give him a sense of self-worth. He needed it; he was only four-foot-eleven-inches tall. No one knew how old he was, nor did they care to ask him; he'd just beat them up if they did. Many people told him he looked just like a miniature version of Inu Yasha, which made him even more angry and bitter. This was not an inaccurate statement, he had long, messy, white hair, yellow eyes, and, since he was a demon, he also had white fox ears and a white fox tail.

Takaan can be described in one word: punk. He was a rebel without a cause, he had no real respect for elders, and yet… people still liked him. He could be quite rude at times, yet everyone still wanted him to like them. He dressed his part very well; he was a gothic type, minus the black hair and makeup. He did have a rather punky hair style, though. His bangs were very long, so he gelled then to each side, and he spiked the back of his golden blonde hair up. And, as all gothic teenagers do, he always dressed in all black. He was still incredibly stylish though; he looked very good in the leather gloves with the fingers cut off, the studded belts, the bondage on his pants, and all of the… interesting shirts he wore. Basically, Takaan Takanoshi was the balls.

Kakome had never really talked to any of these people, with the exception of Arne. You see, Kakome and Arne were best friends. Some thought they had a secret romance going on, but this is the case with any set opposite-sex best friends. She did think Takaan was cute, though. She loved his dreamy purple eyes…

"Kakome!" Arne nudged her in the rib. "Mr. Karokita is talking to you."

"Right. I was thinking about what he said, and then I… lost my train of thought." As she quickly covered up her inattention.

"That's quite alright, Kakome. I asked if you all knew each other." He responded.

"No. I only know Kakome." Arne told him.

"The only person I am familiar with is Takaan." Added Inaryu.

"Well, I'll skip the formalities." He pointed his finger to each respective person as he stated their names: "Kakome Mirushito, Arne Koroshika, Inaryu Ishkanori, Reishi Poronobu, and Takaan Takanoshi."

They all exchanged 'Nice to meet you''s and 'A pleasure I'm sure''s.

"Now that that's out of the way, I have a favor to ask you kids. I have had a hobby over the past few decades, and I am no longer able to participate in it. I'm… too old." Mr. Karokita explained.

"And what kind of hobby is this?" Arne asked inquisitively.

"You could call it competitive Spirit Detective School." He answered after thinking for a bit, as if there was something he didn't want them to know.

"Whatever. What's this got to do with us?" Takaan demanded impatiently.

"Funny you should ask. I would like you kids to participate for me." He answered patiently to counter Takaan's rudeness.

"I'm still not sure what it is you're asking us to get involved in." Kakome noted.

"Well, this hobby of mine is actually a tournament of Martial and/or Spiritual Arts called the Dark Tournament." Mr. Karokita explained. "Teams of five plus an alternate- I'll explain that part later- compete in fights in a manner decided by the two opposing team captains. This means that pretty much anything goes: One-on-One, Battle Royal, or anything else that the captains see fit. Usually, though, it's One-on-One battles in either Three out of Five or Blackout style."

"So, you want us to go beat the crap out of bored old guys?" Takaan asked with a bit of a laugh.

"… Suuuuuuurrrrrreee let's go with that one." Mr. Karokita answered deceitfully.

"Sounds fun." Takaan smirked.

"So we are to replace Team Karokita in this… Dark Tournament?" Reishi asked while everyone stared at him in awe for speaking.

"Yes, but I think a new name is in order. Don't feel like you're competing for _me._ I think Team Mirushito is a fine name." Mr. Karokita announced.

"Why give the name to the chick!" Takaan fumed. "She doesn't get any better grades than any of _us_!"

"I decided that: number one, she is a lady. You know the rules, ladies first. And, second of all, I sense something of a leader in her." Mr. Karokita shot back.

"Team Mirushito is born, then." Arne chimed. "So, when do we leave?"

"Tonight at midnight. Meet at Pier Thirteen about a half-hour beforehand." Their teacher answered. "And, since I won't be able to see you off- my poor kitten is sick- I'll just have to tell you now: whatever you do, don't talk to strangers."


	4. Chapter 3: The Cruise From Hell

Chapter 3: The Cruise From Hell

At about 11:30 they were all at the designated spot, waiting for the supposed boat to wherever it was they were to compete. It had not arrived yet, though.

"He stood us up. And just when I was getting amped to kick some poser ass." Takaan said sleepily yet excited.

"Chill out, little man" said Arne- you see, Takaan was only a couple of inches taller than Inaryu- "We've still got half an hour before we leave. It'd be nice if you'd just take your Ritalin." He added, slightly annoyed.

TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

"Don't you love it when I'm right?" Arne cooed at Takaan.

As soon as Reishi was able to pull Inaryu off of Arne, they boarded the ship. WWhen the five newly acquainted friends got on board, they were in shock. The only other passengers did not look at all like martial arts types. Quite the opposite. The other passengers were senior citizens with canes, walkers, and wheel chairs. Others included little girls with pigtails holding teddy bears, and babies crawling around.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Kakome demanded.

"Maybe this is the daycare-slash-retirement section. The real fighters are probably in the back." Arne suggested.

"Excuse me, Deary, what did you say?" a short, old lady had overheard Arne. "It sounded like you don't think that I'm a real fighter."

" I'm sorry Ma'am, I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought we were going to be fighting people who are… well… younger, and um… in better shape to fight." He replied in an apologetic tone.

"WE'LL JUST SEE WHO'S IN BETTER SHAPE TO FIGHT!" she roared as she began to grow and pulsate. She was transforming into a monster.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I didn't realize you were in disguise! Please, don't hurt me!" Arne pleaded.

When the woman was through transforming, she had become a ten foot tall demon with six tentacles, two arms, four legs, and three rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Hurt you? I'd never do that, Deary! After all, no one likes bruised meat!" she cackled in a new, deeper, more demon-like voice.

" I'm gonna have to fight her, aren't I?" Arne asked Kakome in a panic-stricken voice.

"Not alone, you won't!" she answered, unafraid. "Am I right, guys?"

"How should I know if you're going to help him?" Takaan answered, unaware that she meant all of them.

"She means all of us." Inaryu told him in a monotone voice- the same in which he spoke at all times, in all states of emotion.

While this little argument was going on, Arne was running for his life around the ship.

"I DON'T CARE WHO HELPS ME; JUST GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME!" Arne screamed, trying not to get eaten by the demon grandma.

His teammates took the hint. They all drew their weapons and sprinted toward their friend's assassin.

Reishi tried to fling the weight at the end of his bladed chain at the demon's stomach, but the demon swatted it away with ease.

Inaryu drew his scimitar- a sword with a curved blade-, and prepared to slash of one of the beast's tentacles. But he did this to no avail; the demon swatted him like a fly in mid air.

"Our weapons won't work, guys. We have to use Spirit Energy!" Kakome told them.

"Easy for you to say; my shadow powers will only make her stronger!" Inaryu remarked.

"I've got an idea. Arne! Distract her!" Takaan commanded.

"WHAT!" Arne demanded as he did what he was told.

"Reishi I'm going to set your chain on fire." Takaan noticed (through body language; Reishi was hard to read, seeing as he wore a mask) that Reishi did not at all like this idea. "Don't worry, I'm a Flame Apparition. I can set it on fire without burning it. Just trust me."

Reishi gave Takaan his chain, and Takaan threw it in the air. Takaan clenched both fists at chest level, and he started to glow instantly. His aura was a red-orange blaze, and it danced around him the way fire would. He thrust both arms in the air, palms out, and the chain caught fire.

As the chain began to fall, Takaan pointed his finger at the demon lady. The chain began to fly towards her, as if on command from Takaan.

The fiery chain went straight up in the air, and then began to go into a dive. Upon this dive, it formed a fiery point on the weighted end, and went straight through the demon's chest. The demon began shrieking in pain, and the chain, still in her chest, began to circle around her again. When it reached her front side again, it flew up, and shot down her left side, slicing off three of her tentacles and one of her arms. The demon had had enough.

"I surrender!" she wailed as she fell on her back. "I surrender!"

"You're in no position to call the shots, demon wench." Inaryu hissed, holding his blade to her throat. "Tell us! Why are you here, competing in a human tournament? Tell us!"

"'Human tournament?' You have no clue where you're headed, do you?" she cackled, choking on what was either black blood or disgustingly filthy saliva. "The Dark Tournament is no ordinary tournament. It's a bloodshed. And as for the human part, humans rarely dare to compete; and only two have ever survived!" she coughed up more black liquid. "No, you're up against purebred demons, mostly youkai. Mark my words: you'll be murdered! Mauled! Obliterated! AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

And with those horrid cackles, she was dead.

"Was she serious?" Arne asked desperately.

"I doubt it. Never trust a woman, especially when that woman is a demon." Inaryu uttered.

"She was telling the truth." Reishi stated. "I have heard of this 'Dark Tournament'. It is nothing but a chance for demon warriors to vent their anger by killing each other. We have been brought into something more than an innocent hobby of Mr. Karokita's. This is… indirect murder."

"Murder? Why would Mr. Karokita want us dead?" Takaan demanded.

"Think about it, Takaan. We were the only ones who ever beat his Battle Simulator. That made him look bad. So he decided to get rid of us." Kakome noted, in disbelief herself.

"I'm not so sure this was just a matter of sending us off." Arne said, deep in thought. "He had to have hired someone to keep us from leaving once we found out, unless…"

"Unless what, Arne?" Takaan inquired impatiently

"Unless he plans to kill us himself. He wants to fight us in the tournament…"


	5. Chapter 4: The Nightmare Begins

Chapter 4: The Tournament Begins

As the boat carried Team Mirushito to the tournament- which was apparently to be their downfall- the friends remained silent. Why would their teacher want them dead? Was it just because they had won the virtual battles? This had to be some kind of sick joke. As the dejected teens sat in more silence, the load speaker came on for an announcement.

"**_ATTENTION DARK TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS: AS WE ARE A BIT OVERBOOKED THIS YEAR, WE HAVE ADDED A QUALLIFYING ROUND. THIS ROUND IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PART OF THE TOURNAMENT, AND THEREFORE THE COMMITTEE FOR THE TOURNAMENT WILL DENY THE EXISTENCE OF ALL LOSERS OF THIS ROUND. THANK YOU, AND ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR TRIP TO HANGING NECK ISLAND_**."

"Great. That increases our odds of being slaughtered. I suppose all of the rounds will be important, but, the qualifying round will be paramount. If we lose that, no one will ever no we existed. Let's just make sure we don't get killed, OK?" Arne thought aloud.

"Right. But there's one thing that still bugs me. Why isn't Mr. Karokita here? If he wants us dead so badly, why wouldn't he watch?" Kakome wondered.

"Interesting point, Kakome, but I don't think that will be an issue. If he shows up, we destroy him in fair tournament combat. If not, we destroy him when we get back home." Takaan said, as if he were looking forward to either of these actions.

"You mean _if_ we get back home." Inaryu said ominously. "You speak as though we actually have a snowball's chance in hell of winning. Which we don't" He added, hesitating to add that last bit.

"Of course we don't stand a chance! But I'm not going to survive, physically or mentally, if I keep telling myself that I'm maggot food!" Arne responded angrily and teary-eyed.

"Arne's right. If we keep telling ourselves that we don't stand a chance, then we _don't_ stand a chance. A wise man once said, 'Whether you believe you can, or believe you can't, you are right.' And, that will hold true if we have what it takes. Which I think we do, provided that we learn from each mistake and each battle we fight." Kakome preached.

"In any case, we'd better get going. In case you haven't noticed, the ship's been docked for an hour." Arne said, starting to cheer up a bit.

As they made their way to the sign-in desk, they noticed all of the other competitors changing from their disguises to their true, demon forms. Some were just as ugly as the demon grandma. Others looked only slightly inhuman. Reishi was a youkai, after all, so not all of them had to be hideous.

"Welcome, fresh meat- I mean- new competitors. Team Mirushito, I presume?" said the demon at the welcome desk. Word had apparently traveled fast of the mainly-human team.

"Yes, that's right. What do you need from us?" Kakome answered in a voice that reeked of newfound maturity. Since she was the "leader", she figured she might as well be a responsible one. This was not exactly out of her character, though. Kakome had always been very mature; besides the fact that she was quite the smart ass.

"I need two forms of identification from each of you; human or otherwise." The green-scaled demon replied, as kindly as he could mange with a twelve-inch forked tongue.

"Will my driver's license and Spirit Detective card do?" she asked, searching through her purse.

"I'm afraid I don't know what a driver's license is. I'd have to see it to confirm its utility for this process." He answered. Kakome was shocked. Did he really not know what a driver's license was? He appeared to be genuine in this aspect. She handed him the plastic card with the picture of her she loathed.

"This is perfect. Thank you. From the non-human participants, I need a demonic registration card. This informs me as to whether you are a criminal. Not that it matters, of course. The Spirit Police see this as an execution anyway." The welcome demon told them.

They all handed their various identifications, and they were entered in the computer. When he was done, he smiled wickedly. "All right, Miss Mirushito, Mr.'s Koroshika, Ishkanori, Poronobu, and Takanoshi. You're all set. Good luck. And, you don't need to register this, but when the battles begin, you'll need to establish a Captain. This will be the person who decides the battle formats, and ultimately…" he eyed each of them evilly. "Your respective fates."

When they reached their room, they were surprised to see they were not alone. A beautiful girl in her twenties was in their lounge chair. She had shiny blonde hair, luscious ruby red lips, and blue eyes. She wore a red tank top that showed her belly- perfect, by the way- and a nice bit of cleavage. Her shorts were, as all girls her age wore them: short enough to make the guys whistle at her. She was as beautiful as Kakome. But, unfortunately for Kakome, blondes get much more attention.

"Hello." Said Arne in a thank-you-Lord voice.

"Hey, Sugar. My name's Naomi." She flicked her hair out of her eyes.

"I don't mean to be rude, but, why are you in our room?" Kakome asked. She was the only one in the group not staring at Naomi.

"Well, I'm what they call a C.I.A. That's Committee Issue Alternate, for you slow ones." She answered.

"We don't have an alternate." Kakome told her, puzzled.

"Exactly. That's why I'm here. All teams are allowed an alternate, and it's unfair for you guys not to have one. So I told my boss I'd compete with you guys." She informed them.

"We can use all the help we can get." Inaryu stated, overjoyed- he then realized he was smiling, and returned to an expressionless look and walked over to Naomi.

"The more the merrier." Arne welcomed. He then joined Inaryu in drooling over their extremely hot new alternate.

"Thanks, boys." She replied in a seductive voice. She tickled Inaryu's chin, and he closed his eyes dreamily. "But we don't have much time to sit and chat. We have the qualifying match in half an hour."

"But we just got here!" Takaan moaned. "We're exhausted!"

"I'm not." Naomi replied. "Guess I'll take your place this round."

"Not a chance." He snarled. "You may be the hottest chic I've ever seen, but you're not taking my chance to fight. I've got my secret weapon for waking up in my bag." He reached into his gym bag and pulled out a can of Spaz Juice.

"What's that?" Arne asked him.

"Spaz Juice. The energy drink from Happy Bunny." He answered in an I-can't-believe-you-don't-know tone.

"Where'd you get it?" Arne inquired further.

"The only place I shop: Hot Topic." He answered with a smirk.

"Oh, I get it! It's an energy drink for Goths!" Naomi giggled, messing with his hair.

Takaan became furious. "Okay; One: You label me, you negate me, bitch. Two: NO ONE TOUCHES MY HAIR!"

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. I didn't mean to upset you." She cooed. "You just do what makes you wake up." Naomi turned around and began to head for the door.

Takaan conjured a fireball in his palm, wound up for the pitch, and…

"Save it for the ring, tough guy." Kakome scolded him.

They headed downstairs for their late night match. Takaan had just finished his drink, so the caffeine rush was beginning to settle in.

"I think we'd better let Takaan go first, just in case this stuff wears off." Arne whispered to Kakome, pointing at the now hyperactive punk.

"Good idea." She replied.

"I don't need to go first! This stuff lasts all night! Whaddaya mean, 'let Takaan go first?' I'm just fine!" he said in a caffeine rant.

"You're a bit overexcited, honey." Naomi remarked.

When they arrived at the ring, their opponents hadn't arrived yet.

"Guess they figure a bunch of humans aren't worth the rush." Kakome said solemnly.

"Humans!" cried Reishi, Inaryu, and Naomi together in an outrage.

"I would have you know I am a purebred youkai." Reishi snarled.

"And I am fifty percent Tengu, fifty percent demon." Inaryu informed them angrily.

"I'm half human, half youkai. Go figure." Naomi added, now over her anger.

"Oh! Um… I'm sorry… I didn't mean… to um… offend you…" Kakome apologized, both embarrassed and a bit frightened.

"Look! Here they come!" Arne interrupted, thankful for the excuse to break up this argument over political correctness. Their opponents had just entered the stadium.

They were, to say the least, a very diverse group. On the left, a little girl of about eight with silver hair down to her shoulder blades, crystal blue eyes that were so large they appeared too large for her face, holding a stuffed dragon. She was wearing what was either a second-hand dress or an old nightgown.

To her right was an extremely tall black man in a wetsuit with pilot's goggles on. They could see neither his hair nor his eyes through this gear. There was a certain air about him that was a bit creepy; it caused one to feel… small.

Behind this man was a preteen boy of about twelve with short, spiky, reddish- brown hair, purple eyes, and samurai armor. On his back was a staff only a bit shorter than he was. He was obviously extremely pompous and cocky, because he had a smirk that told everyone how 'cool' he was.

Next to him was a man who was obviously the Team Captain. He was wearing a black T-shirt that said 'PUNK', a black skull cap to cover most of his messy, long blonde hair, a pair of white jeans, and a few black wristbands.

Hanging onto him was a beautiful girl with green hair worn in a ponytail and blue eyes, wearing a reddish-purple Chinese dress with yellow trim. She was obviously Mr. Punk's girlfriend. She shot Kakome a check-me-out look.

"Dibs on the green-haired bitch." Kakome whispered to her teammates.

As the rest of the team nodded and studied their opponents- something they had always been taught to do in school- they wondered: what was in store for them? Would they be able to overcome these fighters? Which of them would fight first? Second? Third? Did any of that even matter? It seems they were to find out very soon…


	6. Chapter 5: Arne versus Kogoro

Chapter 5: Arne vs. Kogoro, Master of Mirrors

**AUTHOR"S NOTE: Before reading this, it would help you to know what a tonfa is. I suggest a visual search on Google, then a little research as to how they are wielded. You might get a little confused if you don't know what I'm talking about **

Before Team Mirushito knew it, the referee was in the ring. Some might call this referee pretty, if you're in to demons. She was a thin blonde with shoulder-length hair, cat ears, and a matching tail. She wore a collared white sleeveless top with a green skirt just above her knees.

"Hey there, carnage fans! My name's Midori, and I'll be your hostess this year!" she announced. A few demons in the stands whistled. "Will the Team Captains please come see me?"

Kakome and the man in the black attire came to the ring where Midori was standing. "So, how's this gonna work?" Midori asked them as if it were nothing.

"My vote is one-on-one matches, best of five." The man in black said.

"Fine by me." Kakome said, not at all meaning it. How was she supposed to watch out for her teammates if she couldn't fight with them? She felt small; helpless.

"Alright! It looks like it's gonna be one-on one fights, best of five! Will the first two combatants please step into the ring?" Midori announced excitedly.

"I'll fight first." Arne volunteered. He stepped into the ring, clutching his weapons: wooden tonfa.

"I shall take on this novice," Said the preteen boy in samurai armor. He pulled a pole from a sheath on his back.

"It looks like it's Arne from Team Mirushito versus Kogoro from Team Shishiotogi! Ready? FIGHT!"

His teammates didn't know this, but Arne had stayed up all last night practicing his craft: wind. Arne was a human, so he couldn't be classified as an Apparition, but that didn't make him any less of an opponent. He was ready.

As he held his tonfa to his forearms, he jerked to a ready stance, and, suddenly, blew himself into the air with his wind, flipping several times. As he began to fall, he went into a dive, one arm out, holding a tonfa backwards (he did this to jab at the stomach).

Kogoro, Arne's opponent, bowed his head, closed his eyes, and put his hands together in a ninja prayer. Suddenly, his Turquoise aura began to glow. He then shouted "FORCE-REFLECTING MIRROR!" and, as Arne came within about a foot of him, he fell to the ground, as if he had hit his head in mid-dive.

Arne rubbed his head.

"Like that? It's my Force-Reflecting Mirror. It measures the force you're about to use, then meets you head on with double!" Kogoro triumphed.

"How is it a mirror if it's not the same as the force it reflects?" Arne mocked.

"Do you not understand how mirrors bend some of the light they reflect? Same goes here. It bends your force by multiplying it." Kogoro explained in a 'duh!' kind of way. Arne could tell he was trying to use higher, more ninja-like vocabulary.

"Don't care." Arne shot back in a split second. In this same second, he had thrown one of his tonfa like a giant, oddly- shaped shuriken, propelling it to sonic speeds with his incredible wind.

This wooden projectile hit Kogoro right in the gut. He hunched over, wheezing in pain. Meanwhile, Arne used his wind to return the weapon to his hand, just like a boomerang.

Arne seized this opportunity to run over and punch his opponent in the jaw. Kogoro was still for a moment. Arne knew he was trying to figure out whether he should clutch his stomach or his face.

"That's it! No more playing around!" Kogoro shouted furiously. He then began to do his ninja prayer again, but this time he was chanting an incantation Arne could not understand. It was probably a demon language. He then took his pole, grasped it with both hands in the middle, and spun it around. Arne saw that as Kogoro spun, a circle of turquoise aura appeared where the pole had been. It was a perfect circle, and, when Kogoro stopped spinning, this circle remained. He then hit this circle like a gong, and it shattered, sending the shards flying straight at Arne.

Arne attempted to blow them away, but his wind had no effect. He began to jump backwards to avoid the shards of light that were crashing at where his feet had been milliseconds before.

To Arne's horror, when the shards had broken, they flew back into the air, this time in smaller pieces.

"Run all you want, Arny Boy! You'll never escape my Mirror Shards of Death!" Kogoro cackled. "Just one more thing: if one touches you, you'll be dematerialized and reappear in this!" He held up a coral hand mirror with horns and spikes all over it. "This is my own little kingdom, and I won't release you unless your teammates win the round!" he cackled.

With that, Arne stopped dead in his tracks, not thinking about what he had just done. Thousands of broken light shards came upon him at once. He yelled in agony, but, as he knew, no one could help him now.

Arne disappeared, and his teammates could have sworn they saw him banging on the glass from the inside of the mirror.

"Well… on the grounds that Arne is unable to continue this match, I declare Kogoro the winner!" Midori announced, shocked. "It also appears that a little wager has been made. If Team Mirushito wins this round, Kogoro will release Arne from his magic mirror. But, If Team Shishiotogi wins… I'm sorry I… didn't quite catch that part."

"Then I smash the mirror, and all chances of ever rescuing your little human friend! But, I'd better hurry- there's not a whole lot of air inside a mirror!" The audience cheered and cackled at this. They wanted to see the humans perish, and, well… they might just get their wish…

"Will the next two fighters please step into the ring?" Midori suggested, just now remembering what her job was.

"Oooooooooooo! I wanna fight next! They look like fun!" said the little girl with silver hair.

"I wish to fight her. She needs a lesson in manners." Inaryu told them in his monotone voice.

"Inaryu, no! we need you to fight the strongest people. Let Takaan take her!" Kakome pleaded. "Inaryu, plea"-

"I will fight her, and you will not stop me." Inaryu snarled, his voice becoming more demonic. This was from the demon blood in his veins. Inaryu walked into the ring, an impossibly angry look on his face.

"Alright! It looks like the next match will be Inaryu versus Team Shishiotogi's Ikuyo! Ready?..."


	7. Chapter 6: Inaryu versus Ikuyo

Chapter 6: Inaryu vs. Ikuyo

"Fight!" declared Midori as the crowd began to roar.

Ikuyo opened the back of the stuffed dragon she carried and inserted what appeared to be a sphere of her black-purple aura. She then set the dragon on the ground. The stuffed dragon began to grow immediately. It grew until it was a living, breathing, dragon that one would never have thought had once been stuffed.

"Hiding behind your toys, I see." Inaryu jeered.

"Ichiro isn't a toy! He's my best friend! Get him, Ichi!" Ikuyo stamped.

The dragon began to stamp rabidly at Inaryu. Inaryu jumped just out of the way of each of these assassination attempts. He drew his scimitar and sprang forward towards the dragon's enormous clawed foot. He landed gracefully right above the leftmost claw. In a motion that was hardly visible, let alone slow enough for the eye to capture, he sliced off the entire toe. This sent the dragon into an even more berserk state of rage. Inaryu had anticipated this, and he jumped off of the dragon's foot, landing several feet away.

On the sidelines, Kakome was sick at her stomach. She knew that the next few minutes would be the only deciding factor of Arne's future. She needed to keep her guard up in order to win her fight. That was Arne's biggest mistake, she thought (well… other than getting sucked into a preteen demon's mirror) he was entirely too cocky. As long as she fought her hardest, and didn't underestimate her opponent, she could win and save Arne.

"Is it just me, or has the temperature gone up by like a million?" Takaan asked, interrupting Kakome's train of thought. Inaryu had noticed this, as well.

"_There has to be some connection between the temperature and this fight_." Inaryu thought. Inaryu looked at his opponent, and noticed that she had a look of lividness on her face. Then he realized: "_The dragon is her familiar! The angrier she becomes, the more anger the dragon becomes! And, being a fire-breathing dragon and all, this must make him heat up!_"

"A little warm for ya?" Ikuyo mocked. "I'm sure you've figured out why it's so hot, right?"

"Your familiar magic." Inaryu managed to respond as he continued to dodge the dragon's stamping feet.

"Nope!" she giggled. "Close, but no gum drops. Ichiro is just a doll I made. The only thing that makes him come alive is the little orb I put inside him. That's a soul."

"A soul! You mean to tell me you extract people's souls to fuel your toys!" Inaryu demanded.

"Only the bullies and meanies." She replied, as if this justified her actions.

"But-" Inaryu began to ask, still avoiding being splattered "That doesn't explain why it's so hot."

"Well, this soul is a special one. I'm connected to it, and all my emotions are, too. This soul is my mommy's." Ikuyo explained.

"You stole your mother's soul!" Inaryu hissed, apparently enraged. "Even the vilest of creatures identify all that their mother has done for them. Even those species that do not receive any maternal care can recognize that some being has warmed their egg. I cannot forgive this; even a youkai would not be so cruel."

Ikuyo realized that her opponent's aura had just grown tenfold. She knew she needed some help. She pulled out a stuffed tiger with large fangs and behemoth claws. She also pulled out another soul and stuck it in the tiger's back in the same manner that she had with her dragon.

The tiger grew to about twice the size of a normal one. It roared, showing it's enormous jaws, and alarming Inaryu (though he would never admit it). He needed to act fast; it was difficult enough trying to survive a dragon. He had an idea.

"You're finished!" Ikuyo giggled. "My dollies are gonna destroy you!"

"You shall pay for your evil deeds, demon girl!" Inaryu shouted as he felt the insanely powerful energy run through his body. As this energy coursed through him, it made him scream. He had never been so angry or ready to deliver justice. This adrenaline caused his power to be exponentially higher than normal.

"I summon shadows darker than those of a dead star! JUDGEMENT OF PERSEPHONE!" Inaryu shrieked.

With that, the whole platform became engulfed in darkness, and no one outside the ring was able to see any of what was going on. All that was heard were Ikuyo's terrified screams, begging for mercy and promising she'd never do anything bad again.

All of a sudden, The darkness disappeared, and when the ring was visible again, there was only Inaryu, breathing heavily. As for Ikuyo, there was no trace of her existence, not even a thread.

As Inaryu walked toward the sidelines and his teammates, the crowd was silent; terrified. What had Inaryu just done? How could he have mustered up that much power? What had happened inside that darkness?

"The deed has been done." Inaryu declared. "The deed has been done…"


	8. Chapter 7: Takaan versus Anzai

Chapter 7: Takaan versus Anzai

"Well… it looks like the winner is Inaryu, from Team Mirushito! That ties the score at one victory a peace for both teams! Will the next two fighters please enter the ring?" Midori announced

Takaan yawned.

"His Spaz Juice is wearing off. If he doesn't fight now, he'll be too tired later." Naomi whispered to Kakome.

"Good point. Takaan! You're fighting." She responded.

"I know I'm fighting, but when?" he inquired.

"Not much of a thinker, are you love?" Naomi giggled.

Takaan thought about what she just said. "Oooooooooooohh…" he expressed.

Before he knew it, the girls had pushed him into the ring along with the man that was thought to be Shishiotogi's Team Captain. Takaan was scared out of his mind. Why did _he_, the youngest member of the team, have to take the shaft and fight _him_?

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MINDS!" he asked his supposed friends. "LOOK AT HIM! HE COULD BREAK ME IN HALF! I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T MAKE REISHI TAKE HIM I'LL"-

"By Dark Tournament rules, I have to consider those now in the ring to be the next combatants. 'Kay?" she winked at Takaan. "We've got the ultra-cute Takaan from Team Mirushito versus the equally-cute-but-older-and-taller-and-therefore-cuter Anzai!"

Takaan fumed at this. "_Him_! Hotter than _me_!"

"Ready? Fight!" Midori declared.

Anzai was ready before she had said this, but Takaan was still glaring at Midori. Anzai lashed foreward in one motion towards Takaan, and stayed about a foot in the air, almost as if he were gliding. Before Takaan knew it, he had been hit square in the jaw. He realized it might be time to draw his weapons: two red sai whose blades were about a third of the size of normal sai. This was because Takaan preferred to use them like brass knuckles; he placed his fingers in between the blades so that they stuck out of the grooves of his fingers.

Anzai realized the danger of these weapons, so he decided to take action. He raised his forearms into the shape of an "x", then yanked them with force so that they stuck out about chest level. At this point, his aura began to glow. A deeper black than anyone had ever seen, it caught the attention of everyone in the arena.

Anzai began to jerk in pain, and the audience then noticed something beginning to grow out of his back… no… _two_ things beginning to grow out of his back. When they finally got too big for Anzai's shirt, they caused the entire thing to rip off. When they did, it was seen that these things were black, leathery wings.

Anzai flew into the air with an enormous flap of his new extremities. He was fast. So fast that Takaan couldn't move his head fast enough to see him. He knew that his only hope was his fire.

He pocketed his sai in one motion, and began to conjure his aura. Anzai wouldn't allow this to go on for too long, he thought. With that in mind, he flicked his wrist, and opened his fist in one motion, causing a fireball to appear in his palm. He flung this ball under his other arm, a motion which he felt was faster than turning around. He was right. Not only was this motion quick enough, it also hit Anzai head-on.

When the fireball hit him, he was flung backwards and landed skidding and skipping like a pebble on water with a thud.

He stood back up, obviously weakened, knees buckling and wings punctured. He wiped a tiny dot of blood from his lip and began to chuckle.

"I don't see what's so funny." Takaan demanded.

"Dude, do you actually think I'd let you win that easily?" Anzai answered.

He repeated his "x"-arm to chest gesture, and began to glow again, but this time a pure, brilliant white. His aura was blinding.

"Bright… enough…for you?" Anzai managed to choke out in spite of the immense energy flowing through him. "That's… because it's… seikoki… the Holy Energy…"

"Holy Energy?" Takaan asked

"Yes… I've managed…to master youki… the energy of youkai… as well as seikoki…" he answered. "My seikoki blinds you… because it's the purest… and holiest… which makes it the purest white there is… and your tainted human eyes… can't handle it!"

With that, the blinding light faded, and Anzai reappeared. This time, though, he was dressed in a white toga, and had thick arm guards with intricate designs on his wrists. He had lost his skull cap, and his blonde hair had grown to just-pass-shoulder length. And his wings had turned into… angel wings…

He flicked his wrists and spikes came out of his wrist guards. He flew into the air, and, in a split second, dived into Takaan, sending him flying out of the ring.

Midori stated the count. "1!"

Oh no! Takkan!" Kakome screamed.

"2! 3! 4!"

"Get up! You're gonna lose!"

"5!"

"You will ruin everything!" Inaryu barked

"6!" Takaan had still not even made a twitch, movement, or even a breath.

"7!"

"Okay, he lost, just get him to the hospital!" Kakome demanded of Midori

"8!"

"Pathetic. He never even tried." Inaryu said angrily

"9!"

"Takaan…" Kakome whispered

"10! The winner is Anzai!" Midori announced "Can we get a medic for Takaan?"

Anzai whispered something in Midori's ear, then handed her what looked like money.

"It appears we have a slight change of plans for the next match. It will now be a two-on-two fight consisting of the remaining members of both teams. A Battle Royal between Kakome and Reishi of Team Mirushito, and Daylin and Zshan from Team Shishiotogi!"

"And when did I agree to this?" Kakome demanded, outraged.

Midori turned off her microphone. "You didn't. But we judges are supposed to use our own judgment for things that are not in the rulebook. Match format changes are not in the rulebook, so my own judgment is: take the money." She turned her microphone back on.

"The match will continue as planned. Will the next _four_ combatants please approach the ring? Everyone here? Ok. Ready? Fight!"


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Tag Team Turnaround

Kakome knew this match was unfair, and so did the entire stadium. She also knew that no one cared; she was human, and the audience would love to see her dead. So, as she drew her fan, preparing for the worst, she decided to suck it up and fight. With Reishi at her side, there was no way she could lose.

"Since this fight will take two knockouts to win, it will be worth two victories! That means it's winner take all, folks! Are the combatants all here? Great. Ready? Fight!" Midori announced.

The four combatants stared each other down. All were in a ready stance, but afraid to be the one to make the first move. This was wise, as the one to make the first move would most likely face both of their opponents' reactions.

Daylin, the Shishiotogi girl with green hair, reached up to pluck a single hair from her head. This caused Kakome and Reishi to become even more tense. As Daylin put a tiny flash of her aura (a blue so light it was almost white) into this hair, it solidified into a straight, hair-thin needle. She held it in her flattened palm, aimed, and flicked. Many were surprised at this; it must have taken years of practice for her to be this accurate in her flick of such a small needle. Kakome did a back handspring to avoid this needle; a bit overdramatic, but, she was, after all, a drama queen.

Reishi decided to use this as a distraction. Unfortunately, so did Zshan. Zshan began to stretch. This stretch was supernatural, though; it wasn't just the same stretch that an athlete does before a game. No, this was more of a freakish rubber man stretch. Zshan began to lunge for Reishi, but his feet stayed planted firmly. Reishi noted that he wasn't moving, but that his torso was stretching. Just in time, Reishi dodged this assault.

"I have dealt with your kind before. I know the science behind your power." Reishi explained. "I can take you out in one move."

"I'd love to see you try!" Zshan mocked.

Reishi tied his chain around his waist, as he always did when he wasn't using it. He then began to pray a ninja prayer. As he did so, his aura began to glow a brilliant blue.

The stadium grew cold as Reishi smirked at his opponent. Kakome and Daylin were oblivious to this, as they were still going hand-to-hand. But as Reishi's aura grew larger and a deeper shade of blue, the stadium became even colder. Zshan began to shiver.

"Y-y-y-you d-d-don't f-frighten me… youkai…" he managed to stutter.

"Don't I? Well, you shall soon change your mind. CRYSTAL FREEZE!"

Reishi's aura immediately stopped, and all of the space that had been occupied by pure energy was now a blizzard. This blizzard was… different somehow. It wasn't really ice or snow; it was too cold to be considered either. No, this stuff was so cold that it looked to be glass. This "ice" danced in swirls around Reishi, until he thrust his arms foreword, hands joint in the shape of a triangle. After this, the shards began to zoom towards Zshan in a freezing blitz of death.

When the onslaught hit the demonic contortionist, he immediately began to shrink back to his normal size. He didn't stop there, however. He continued to shrink.

"You will never stop shrinking. Your own powers have done you in. You see, your aura supercharges your molecules, making it possible for you to stretch. However, the friction once you begin causes your molecules to heat up. By reversing this, and making your molecules cold, I have done the exact opposite: I have caused you to shrink. And, since my shards are aura-based, they will grow colder and colder, until you shrink into nothing and, hopefully get eaten by bacteria." Reishi explained in triumph.

Zshan was now the size Ikuyo had once been. As he continued to shrink, Reishi bent over to whisper the final words Zshan would ever hear: "Remember the name of the youkai who did you in: Daisuke Karokita."

Once Zshan had disappeared, the fight had become a two-on-one. Daylin did not seem at all worried, however. She simply plucked more hairs out of her head, and turned them into more needles. She began to flick them at incredible speeds, and Kakome was barely able to dodge them.

Then Kakome had a brilliant idea. She began to run around the ring in straight lines, leaving a trail of dark purple flowers behind her. This trail made an-eight-pointed star around Daylin.

"Toxic Blooms!" Kakome shouted.

Daylin started to laugh when the flowers began to glow with Kakome's jungle-green aura. "Sweetie, have you noticed anything about my hair?" she laughed.

"No…" Kakome said, confused.

"Exactly. Even though I pluck out countless hairs, they grow back in an instant. That's because my blood is saturated with protein, and nothing else will fit into my bloodstream. Not anything that would be absorbed, anyway." Daylin answered her. "That includes your poison. It's useless."

"'Useless' isn't quite the word I would use." Kakome told her as the flowers continued to glow. Just then, black vines shot out of the flowers, straight toward Daylin. She became entangled in these vines, unable to break free.

"Now! Get her, Reishi!" Kakome cried in triumph.

Reishi shot a stream of water out of his palm with what might have been somewhat excessive force. Daylin was hurled out of the ring.

"I'll start the count," Midori said as Reishi continued to bar his opponent from reentering the ring.

"1! 2! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7!" Midori counted. At this second, Kakome looked at Kogoro.

"8!" Midori continued.

"Kogoro! We won." Kakome informed him.

"9!"

"Time to pay up. Give Arne back. Now."

"10! And the winner of this round is Team Mirushito! They will advance to the first round, which commences tomorrow! We wish them luck… they'll need it."

During this announcement, Kogoro saw his chance to run.

"Oh, no you don't!" Kakome shouted, taking off after him. Inaryu had beaten her to it, however. He had already blocked Kogoro's path.

"I knew you wouldn't pay up. Now you'll just have to pay." He mocked, drawing power from his aura. "Nightmare Fist!" he screamed.

His fists were covered in his blackish-purple aura. He punched Kogoro in the stomach, but just enough so that Kogoro arched his back a bit.

Immediately Kogoro was on the groung, shivering and crying for help. The entire team was at the scene at this point.

"Inaryu… what did you do?" Naomi whimpered, terrified.

"He decided not to keep his word. So I used my Nightmare Fist. It harnesses the target's worst fears and beyond, sending them into a state of panic so deep that he or she begins to hallucinate. He should be fine. Maybe." He explained. "I got his mirror. But, how do we get Arne out?"

"That might have been a reason NOT TO SEND KOGORO INTO A NIGHTMARE-RIDDEN HALLUCINATION!" Kakome fulminated.

"I believe I might be able to help." Said a voice behind them. They all turned around, and saw Anzai, captain of Team Shishiotogi. "Give me the mirror." Inaryu reluctantly did what he was told.

Anzai conjured his aura around his fist, and reached into the mirror. His fist went right through, and he began to tug at the edges of the glass. As he did so the mirror began to grow. Eventually, he had to use his feet, too. Within about thirty seconds, he had stretched the mirror to a large enough size so that Arne could walk through. He gave the glass on final tap with his index finger, and it began to disappear.

Within seconds, Arne came out. "Thanks. It was getting a bit… well, I about ran out of air."

Anzai began to walk away, clutching the oversized mirror. He threw it into the now empty stands, causing it to shatter into pieces.

"What a cutie. And he's not a sore loser, either." Naomi giggled. "Come on, sugars. It's time for bed."


	10. Chapter 9: A Great Start

Chapter 9: A Great Start

After the qualifying round, Team Mirushito waited in the Medical Wing's lobby for news concerning Takaan. Arne seemed the most affected by Takaan's injuries.

"Damn! I should've been there!" he raged.

"Arne… you can't blame yourself… Even if you _had_ been there, there's nothing you could have done." Kakome attempted to comfort him.

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" he screamed.

"… Yes I do… I was there…" she tried not to take Arne's outburst to heart.

Just then, a nurse came out of the double doors. They all stood up immediately, waiting for news.

"Is he okay?" Kakome pleaded.

"He will be, but I must insist that he not compete in the next round." She answered.

"… I'll stay here with him… it might be good for him to have a familiar voice… you know… to help him wake up…" Arne suggested.

"That's a wonderful idea!" The nurse piped.

Just then, the intercom came on with a message: **_MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLAESE? WILL TEAM MIRUSHITO AND TEAM REICHSCHTAGG PLEASE REPORT TO THE ARENA FOR THE NEXT ROUND?_**

"I guess we'll just do this blackout style." Naomi said.

Once in the arena, Team Mirushito was taken by surprise. The ring was surrounded by a one-way mirror! They could see inside the ring, but not on the other side. Their opponents would remain faceless until the very last second, apparently.

Midori raised her microphone, ready to announce. "As you may have noticed, ladies and gentlemen, the ring has been modified to tweak the round a bit. We have decided to make each round unique this year, and we'll start with these conditions: 1. Due to the mirror, combatants will not see their opponents until the very last second. And 2. Also due to the mirror, combatants will not be able to see their teammates once inside the ring."

"Interesting." Inaryu noted.

"Will the team Captains please come into the ring to discuss the terms of this round?" Midori announced.

Kakome entered the ring, along with a man in black spandex, red armor, and a red mask with devil horns. His eyes, nose and mouth were visible, which made one wonder: why did he even wear the mask? He had long blond hair down to his shoulder blades, and he spiked his layered locks in the back, so that each "level" stuck out at a different angle. Kakome found him a bit creepy.

"My team's a bit short, so how about a fight-until-you lose kind of thing?" Kakome inquired.

"Hmph." He replied.

"Is that a go?" Midori inquired, confused.

"Hmph." He replied again.

"Okay, then! It looks like a knockout-only round! Awesome. Will the first two combatants please enter the ring?"

Outside the ring, Naomi was ready.

"It's my turn." She informed them.

"Sure you can handle it?" Inaryu smirked.

"Watch me, smartass." She shot back with a bit more attitude than usual as she walked into the ring. Kakome gave her a thumbs-up and a 'good luck'.

Her opponent was a short, plump, and round-faced demon dressed in the stereotypical German attire; ie a white colored shit with suspenders, shorts, and a hat with a red feather.

"All right, folks! It looks like it'll be Team Mirushito's Naomi versus Team Reichschtagg's Ulrech! Ready? Fight!"

Naomi wasted no time preparing for this fight. Her stone-grey aura was already raging around her, sending her hair flying in various directions.

Ulrech leaped into the air, lunging at Naomi, but, as soon as he reached the midpoint of his assault, Naomi jerked her elbows forcefully to her sides, haulting her aura.

"MEDUSA'S GLARE!" she shouted. In a flash of light, Ulrech had been turned to stone.

"…Uhhhh… the winner is Naomi?" Midori announced, still mesmerized. "Will the next fighter from Team Reichschtagg please enter the ring?"

Immediately a demon dressed in the same armor as the Captain- with the exception of the color; this demon wore green- holding a whip entered the ring.

"Alright, carnage lovers, it looks like the next match is Team Mirushito's stone-cold beauty Naomi versus the whip-cracking fury of Team Reichschtagg's Bjorn! This should be good! Ready? Fight!"


	11. Chapter 10 Bjorn To Whip

Chapter 10: Bjorn to Whip

Author's Note: In the German language, the letter j makes a "ee" sound. For example, "Bjorn" is pronounced "BeeORN", "ja" is pronounced "eeya (ya)", etc.

"Bjorn, sweetie, you're in way over your head. I can move the ground you stand on, and what can you do? Crack a whip?" Naomi smiled malevolently.

As her aura began to glow, so did a chunk of the ring next to her. She flung her arm forward as if the ground were under her command. The chunk of rocky arena flew out of its rocky disposition towards Bjorn. As it did so it broke into smaller pieces.

Bjorn was not at all shaken by this. As the boulders rushed toward him, he drew his weapon, a whip at the ready.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! In the blink of an eye, Bjorn had cracked his whip at all of the boulders, making dust of all of them. Naomi stood amazed. She had just sent enormous boulders, each weighing at least a ton, right for her opponent, and he turned them all into dust with a few cracks of his whip. It looked as though _she_ was the one in over her head.

"Now, ah you ready to staht zis fight, or ah ve goink to continue zis nonsense?" Bjorn inquired in the most German accent Naomi had ever heard.

"If you even had to ask, then you're dumber than I thought." She answered. She followed this remark with another barrage of boulders, this time smaller and greater in number. Her logic was that Bjorn couldn't possibly destroy them _all_ before they hit. She was wrong. In fact, Bjorn made even quicker work of this onslaught.

"You're no fun." She frowned at him in her sexy way.

"No fun! Zis tournament is not about vhat ist fun!" he looked away. She had gotten to him with her sexiness. Naomi had an idea.

She approached Bjorn, walking just as sexy as she ever had, stopping in the center of the ring. She stuck out her arm and curled her index finger twice; the international "come here" signal.

A love struck Bjorn blinked a few times, followed by the traditional male response: "Me?"

She nodded. "_Just a little closer,_" she thought as he approached "_NOW!_"

Without the lovesick German noticing, she used her Earth Apparition powers to rip a section of the ring up behind him. She then curled the front end of this rocky section around Bjorn, and wrapped him in it like a burrito so that only his head was showing.

"You are very clever. Do your vurst, I am defenseless." Bjorn conceded.

"Not my style, sugar. A simple 'I quit' will do, though." She answered.

"Due to the fact that Bjorn has gotten himself entangled in stone by a human-helping backstabber…" Midori announced

"What was that last bit? I didn't quite catch it." Naomi "inquired" as her eyes began to glow.

"Uhhh… Naomi wins?" Midori answered in fear.

From the sidelines, Team Mirushito was standing in awe and delight.

"Who woulda thought?" Kakome retorted.

"Yes, Naomi is a powerful master of all things stone and Bjorn is a sex-starved sucker. Inaryu agreed.

"Will the next fighter from Team Reichschtagg please enter the ring?" Midori announced.

A teenage girl with incredibly short black hair and long, bleach-blonde bangs and blue eyes wearing a white, long-sleeved collared top and plaid skirt above her knees entered the ring.

"Well, folks, it looks like the next match will be between Team Mirushito's Naomi and Team Reichschtagg's Eike! Ready? Fight!"


End file.
